Fan wheel



April 15, 1952 R. B. BERANEK FAN WHEEL Filed April 10, 1950 m T m V mPatented Apr. 15, 1952 FAN WHEEL Rudolph Bruce Beranek, Columbus, Ohio,assignor to American Blower Corporation, Dearborn, Mich., a corporationoi Delaware Application April 10, 1950, Serial No. 154,989

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rotors of thetype having blade members cooperable with a fluid medium and relatesmore particularly to a fan or blower wheel for movement of air or gases.

An object of the invention is to provide a blower wheel of novelconstruction which may be easily and readily fabricated in quantityproduction.

Another object is to provide a blower wheel which may be completelyassembled from sheet material parts, such as steel, and which will bedurable and rigid in its proper usages.

Another object is to provide a novel and rapid method of constructing arotor wheel having fluid contacting blade members.

This invention consists in the improved structure and cooperativearrangement of parts of the rotor wheel and in the method ofconstruction thereof, all to be more fully described hereinafter and thenovelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctlyclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, to be taken as part of this specification,there are fully and clearly illustrated several preferred embodiments ofthe invention, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of a fan wheel embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly in section and enlarged with respect toFig. 1, taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1,

' into an annulus or ring,

Fig. '7 is an enlarged'detail view of a portion of one of the carryingor rim members for supporting the blade members, shown in itswheelassembling stage and showing in dash-dot lines its completed blademember supporting stage,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged end view of one of the blade members,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a blade member in rear or side elevation,and

Fig. 10 is a detail view of another preferred 'form of spacing andlocking plate before being bent into annular form but having blade memzbers set in assembled position, one blade mem ber being in section forclarity.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, I designatesasupporting plate or disk member to which a shaft receiving hub member 2is rigidly secured. The peripheral portion of the supporting member Ihas rigidly secured thereto an annular carrying or rim member 3 which isconcentric with the hub *2. The carrying member 3 has a fiat annularbody portion 4 with inner and outer peripheral portions or flanges 5, 6,respectively, which, as seen in Fig. 7, extend originally substantiallynormal or at right angles to the body portion 4 to receive other partsof the wheel assembly. These portions 5, #5 in their final stage ofassembly are directed toward each other in overlying relation to thebody portion 4, as by bending, so that the portions 5, 6 cooperate withthe portion 4 to provide opposed facing channels I, 8. Received in thechannels I, 8 are the inner and outer marginal portions '9, I0,respectively, of a blade member locking and spacing ring or annularplate member II having equispaced curved slots I2 therethrough with openinner ends and extending inward across the plate member from its innerperiphery. Positioned between the plate member I I and the body portion4 are the end flanges l3 of the air or gas moving blade members I4. Theupper and lower flange edges adjacent the blade members underlie theflanges or peripheral portions 5, 6 such that they extend into thechannels I, 8. The slots I'2 are designed to have a final shape whichwill conform to the blade members I4 which may be flat or have abackward or forward curvature as is well understood in the art. Theblade members I4, as shown, have a curvature transverse to their lengthsuch as to conform to the final curvature of the slots I2, which alsopermits sliding movement of the blade members thereinto. At the flangesI3 each of the blade members I4 has a neck portion of reduced widthformed by upper and lower edge recesses I5, I5, respectively, providingreceiving spaces for the flange or peripheral portions 6 and 5,respectively. The flange or peripheral portions 5, 6 are clamped orstressed 'ghtly upon the marginal portions 9, I0, respectively, of thespacer member II to hold it and the flanges I3 rigidly against the bodyportion 4 and to the rim or carrying member 3. The flanges 5, 6 alsoseat at their edges against the blade members and particularly thebottom of the recesses I6 and I5, respectively, so as to position theblade members longitudinally of their receiving slots and transverselyof the rim 3.

The other ends oi. the blade members l4 are provided with flanges 2Bwhich are similar to the flanges l3 and which are spaced from the upperand lower edges of the blade members by recesses 2| similar to therecesses l5, l6. These other blade member end portions 22 are receivedin conforming slots in a locking and spacing ring or annularmember 23similar to the annular-member II- and its slots. The annularmember 23and flanges 20 are received in opposed facing channels 24, 2-5 in anannular carrying or rim member 25 similar to the member 3. The member 26has inturned flanges or peripheral portionsZl, 28 which are similar toand..serveias:do thefianges 5, 6 to stress and clamp'the:marginahedges.of

the plate member 23 and the flanges'20 against the body portion of therim. member.25.

The method of assembly or construction of this fan wheel permits ofrapid and easy fabrication which is a highly desirable feature. Theblade members! are preferably stamped and bent, or may be otherwisefabricated from thesheet materialrsuchas steel, to the form andconfiguration-desired, such as is shown in Figs. 2, 8 and 9, each havingthe transverse end flanges l3 and 20 and having the blade member endrecesses.

After the ring or carrying members are stamped and cut or otherwiseformed from the .sheet metal to the configuration of the dash-dot linesof Fig. 6, a pair of them are positioned in a substantially horizontalplane in spaced relation with the open slot :ends directed upward. The

blade members are then positioned or set in these slots, resting at :thebottoms of their recesses I aagainst the .closed. slot .ends. .Thecar-5,3, 2'! and Rare then bent over and stressed againstzthe. inner andouter peripheral edges of their respective spacer plate members II and23 which clampsthe :bladexmember flanges l3 and 20 tightly between theirrespective body portions 4 and-2S and their respective carrying membersII and 23, thus tightly holdingthe ends of the blade members M inposition,'as above described. Therimor carrying member 3 may then bese-"curedby any suitable means, suchas spot weldiingor' the like, to thehub plate I or 'to a hub .iplate secured to the blade membersintermediate theirrends, so that the member 3 is concentric with the hubmember 2.

:In Fig.110, the annular plate or carrying memthe plate members 30. Inthis form, Fig. 10, the length of the slots 33 between the flangeportion 3| iand'theslot inner end 34 is of substantially the samearcuate length as the width of the blade members between therecesses l5and 16, note the sectioned blade member in Fig. 10. Accordingly,

upon forming thegplate members '30 intoan annulus, each flange portionor car 3| passes through its blade member recess l5, locks over itsblade member and extending circumferentially therebeyond looks or fitsinto the recess portion 5 or socket 32, so that none of the blademembers can be slid out of its receiving slot. This locking of the blademembers in their slots occurs duringthe bending of the'plate-members 30into circular form, so that the blade members which are carried with theplate member end portions into the top position of the wheel can notdrop downward in or out of their slots during the final stage of formingthe wheel blade sub-assembly.

The wheelstructurethus partially formed is then positioned .inthe'facing channels of the opposed concentriczrim:members 3 and 26 andclamped therein as above described in connection with thecarryingmembers H and 23.

.Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rotor for cooperating with a fluid medium, comprising a supportingmember adapted for concentric-mountingon a rotary shaft, an annularcarrying member having a body portion secured concentrically to saidsupporting member, a plurality 0f. fluid medium contacting blade membersextending normal to the plane of said carrying member and each having anend flange lyingagainstsaid carrying member, an annular locking memberhaving a plurality of blade .member' spacing slots therethrough ofgreater length than the-depthof said-blade members :and:receivingsaidblade members, said locking 735 membenseatedagainst and holding saidflanges to said supporting member, said blade-members having-upper andloweredge recesses at said end flanges. said carrying member havinginner and outer peripheral portions extending toward 40 each other inoverlying relationto said body portion to provide channels, said lockingmember and saidflanges extending into said channels, said: peripheralportions extending into said recesses and engaging said blade members topcsition said blade members longitudinally of said slots and saidperipheral portions clamping said 'locking-member-and said flanges tosaid carrying member.

2. In:a:'fan whee1, concentric laterally spaced 5O annular plate:members, each having a body portion and inner and outer circumferentialportionsexten'ding toward each other to form chan nels with said bodyportion, blade members 'curved transversely of'their length andextending 'in' length-between said plate members, each of said blademembers having a blade portion and :havingendflanges'of' less width thansaid bladeportion, one at eachblade member end, ex-

tending itransverselymo" its length and seating 00 against itsrespective'body-portion, each of said -"bladeimembers having upper andlower edge recesses'zat its opposite ends between said blade portion andsaid flangeszand forming a neck t-portion'of'reduced width, annularblade member'spacing'and locking plates, lying one against each'of' theoppositersetsxof flanges, said locking plates and said flanges;extending into said channels, .saidilocking plates each having bladememberspacing slots therethrough conforming to blade member curvatureand of greater length than said blademember'neck portion, said slotsopening through theinner peripheral edges of said locking; plates, saidcircumferential portions of-said spaced-concentric platemembersextending into-.s'aidblade' member recesses andengaging said blademembers to position said blade members longitudinally of said slots,said circumferential portions rigidly clamping said locking plates andsaid flanges to said concentric plate members, and said blade memberedge recesses being of a depth and width substantially equal to thelength of said channels so that the channels may be formed over thelocking members and edge flanges after initial assembly without damagingthe blade portions.

3. In a fan wheel, a plurality of blade members, each having a bladeportion of predetermined width, and flanges of less width than saidblade portion and extending transversely thereto, and upper and loweredge recesses at opposite ends forming a neck portion of reduced widthbetween said blade portion and said end flanges, annular channel shapedblade supporting members, one at each end of said blade members andreceiving said end flanges, annular spacer members co-operating one witheach of said channel shaped members and having spacer slots receivingsaid neck portions for spacing said blade members, said spacer membersbeing wider than said end flanges, said channel-shaped members havingtheir channel flanges bent inward over the edges of said spacer membersand said end flanges to hold the same compressively in position, andsaid edge recesses being of a width and depth greater than the length ofthe inwardly bent channel flanges to permit the inward bending of thesame upon initial assembly without damaging said blade portions.

RUDOLPH BRUCE BERANEK.

REFERENCES CIEEE' The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATEE PATENTS Number Name Date 1,637,652 Ness Aug. 2, 19271,700,017 Bender Jan. 22, 1929 2,293,512 Levy Aug. 18, 1942 2,315,407Evans Mar. 30, 1943 2,357,618 Swift Sept. 5,- 1944 2,470,966 Abbott May24, 1949 2,496,179 Schwarz Jan. 3'1, 1950

